Occupational risks for meningiomas of the CNS in Sweden

Using the Cancer-Environment Registry of Sweden, which links cancer incidence (1961 to 1979) with census information (1960) for all employed individuals in Sweden, a systematic, population-based assessment was made of the occurrence of meningiomas of the CNS according to industrial and occupational classifications. Statistically significant standardized incidence ratios (SIR) between 5 and 6 for meningioma were observed among glass, porcelain, or ceramic workers of both sexes. SIRs of similar magnitude were also found for men employed in the headwear fabrication and book publishing industries. Significantly elevated two- to three-fold risks were observed for men employed in health care, railroad and trolley construction, sheet and plate metal fabrication, and as moving equipment operators. Some of the findings of this descriptive survey may have arisen as a result of multiple comparisons, but several are consistent with earlier observations for brain cancer from other countries and deserve further study.